Teaching

Teaching at Trent

My priority is to develop pedagogies in communications and culture, but I have also taught diversely in humanities, film, global studies and international development studies, and sociology since 2013. I have been fortunate to work at Trent as Assistant Professor since 2016. I am a strong advocate for our programs in Cultural Studies and Media Studies.

Teaching is a lifelong vocation. I’m happy to share a written statement on my teaching philosophy, with further details on my approach to facilitation, evaluation, inclusion, and mentorship.

As I have learned from others, so I hope others may learn from me. In the spirit of sharing and collaboration, I try to make available as many teaching materials as possible to anyone interested.

I am a faculty member in the Cultural Studies Graduate Programs at Trent, taking on a number of different roles for students, whether as supervisor of MA and PhD theses, committee member, or examiner. Pictured above: Dr. Hazal Goktas after defending her dissertation, “Contemporary Discourses about Trans Women: The Making of the “Transgender Predator.” (Clockwise from left: Karleen Pendleton Jiménez, Cat Fitzpatrick (Rutgers), Hazal Goktas, Nael Bhanji, Josh Synenko).

Experiential learning

Since 2016, I have introduced a number of experiential learning evaluation models, particularly at the fourth year level, including peer assessment, peer-review publishing, event organizing, and technology-enhanced learning.

My 4th year workshop in Computational Arts has been offered since 2019. The Lab explores diverse spatial media experiences with a focus on documentary, narrative and visual culture. Engaging through experimentation with mapping and GIS tools, location-based media, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, students will participate in a major project using the digital imaging resources at the Odette Critical Making Studio, the Maps, Data, and Government Information Centre, and the Experimental Methods and Media Lab.

My 2016-2017 cohort for Contemporary Topics in Media Studies were invited to submit their research papers on critical media infrastructure to Mediapolis: Journal of Cities and Culture, in the inaugural issue of their Student Voices column.

Exploring Lab Experiment projects in seminar (left), and at the Odette Critical Making Studio in Bata Library (right), October 2022.